Last Chance Mustang

by Bornstein

Last Chance Mustang is the story of Samson, a formerly free-roaming, still wild-at-heart American mustang that was plucked from his mountainous Nevada home and thrown into the domestic horse world where he was brutalized and victimized.

After years of abuse, Samson had evolved into a hateful and hated, maladjusted beast until the day he found his way to a rural Illinois farm, an ill-equipped owner, and one last chance. Mitch Bornstein's task was to tame the violent beast whose best defense had become offense. He had twenty years of experience fixing unfixable horses, but Samson would be his greatest challenge. Through the pair's many struggles and countless battles, Samson would teach Mitch about the true power of hope, friendship, redemption and the inspiring mettle of the forever wild and free American mustang.

Last Chance Mustang explains Samson's violent and antisocial behavior while addressing the remedial techniques employed to remedy these issues. The art of working with damaged horses is demystified. Though his story is sad, the reader is asked to respect Samson—not pity him. He has good and bad days, and he has a dark side. Like all of us, Samson is far from perfect. And his saga will move the reader to both tears and laughter.

Part history lesson, part training manual, and part animal narrative, Samson's is a story that all readers will be able to relate to: a story of survival, of trust, and ultimately, finding love.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Horses, Memoir, Inspirational, Biography

316 pages, Paperback

First published June 23, 2015

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story about the horse more than I did the story about the man. Maybe it was the audio narrator or maybe it was much more than that. Samson, the horse, had a hard life and needed to be domesticated. This story mentioned wild mustangs and the abuse of these animals, and I feel it needed to be told, but I had a hard time with the trainer. This didn't seem to be well written or maybe the editor needed a stronger hand...I don't know, but it didn't work for me. There was a lot of anthropomorphism which I don't usually mind (because I read a lot of animal books), but it sounded like its sole purpose in this book was to make the trainer look good.

I could have also done without all the DNA, land bridges, extermination and evolution tangents. It hopped around quite a bit. This was 1 star for me, but I'll give it 2 because of Samson.

[T S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the Kindle version and read it in 3 days. I throughly enjoyed the book, well written. The book not only gave excellent insight to why horses act the way they do, but also how harmful the BLM is to Mustangs. I was but a young girl in the early 70's and was so thrilled to hear about how the BLM was going to "protect" the Mustangs. Boy were we fooled. Unfortunately there are a lot of abusive horse owners in the world, most I believe are due to pure ignorance. This book will educate as well bring tears to your eyes. Please read and share with others even if they aren't the horsey type. Just reported on 7/12/15 in the Denver Post, the BLM is once again spreading lies that the Mustang herds have incresed by 18% in the past year. BLM is planning on 21 research projects over five years at the cost of $11 millon which will include looking into PERMANENT contraception, minimally invasive method of surgical sterilization for mares. Is this their way of renaming a bullet? If this happens then what will become of these horses? Who will decide which mares are worthy of continuing to breed? I see this as the beginning of the end.

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the parts about Mitch and Samson; the personal stories of dealing with a very difficult horse and one that could so easily kill you if you made a wrong move. But I hated the parts about the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and the truly sickening & atrocious stuff they were doing to wild mustang herds. The descriptions were way too vivid and I could not stand reading some of the stuff. And I am also confused: since when are horses turned into pet foods (as I have never seen any horse related word on an ingredient label of cat food? Maybe it's in dog food which I have never bought or looked at?)

Samson definitely reminds me of Smoky the Cowhorse...but much, much more wild. Smoky was fictional but this one is very real and lives in Illinois. And his actions are way out there! He loves destroying all sorts of things from fences to saddle pads and anything else. Injury doesn't seem to stop him either. He'll run right through anything. But somehow Mitch had to tame this wild mustang enough to actually get a saddle on him and ride him! And this book explains how he did exactly that: by slowly getting Samson to trust him. To be his friend. To get him to join up. But it wasn't easy at all. And horse taming isn't even his real job: he is a lawyer!

There's pretty much non-stop horse action in here plus the crazy hijinks of a bunch of other unwanted animals like dogs and a cat. But it's mostly Samson. And I could relate and understand some of his actions from personal experience with horses but most of this is way beyond me. I can imagine it though based off of horse videos I've seen. It must be scary to work with such a lost and confused horse, lost because he was taken from his natural territory of the wild west where he understood the rules and then shipped to live with humans under very confusing different rules. None of this was his choice. He was a wild stallion running the plains. And then he was trapped in a tiny stall under horrid conditions.

It's unfair. It's ghastly. It's culture shock. And worse is the cruel people who had abused him when he didn't listen right away.

And the one thing that really changed Samson in the end was the biggest surprise! I certainly didn't see that one coming!

Mitch is a true hero who saved this horse. But I am uncertain if I like Amy in this book. She rubs me wrong. She seemed more concerned with turning him into a riding horse than his actual welfare. And she seemed to like deadlines too...not very nice.

The book has a few pages of colored photos in the middle.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very touching. I never expected it to make me laugh and sob. The author does a beautiful job describing the special relationship between himself and Samson the very deeply troubled horse. I also learned a lot about the "American Wild West" through this book. Chapter 7 detailed the horrendous ways Mustangs were (and probably still are) treated during capture. I lost sleep after reading that chapter. Overall, this was a very moving book and anyone who appreciates animals and the relationships that people have with them will definitely enjoy this book. I am so happy that people like this author still exist in the world.

- I received this free advanced reading copy through the goodreads giveaway program.

[Nancy Luebke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for horse lovers in America. This non-fiction story is written by an experienced horse trainer dealing with a last chance Mustang and the history of wild horses across the country. He gives an eye opening and fact filled history of many of these wild horses that many of us have not heard about.

[Minna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of Mr. Bornstein's attempt to train (and his partial success - Samson will always be partly wild) a formerly wild, abused Mustang stallion named Samson. Interspersed with episodes of Samson's training are accounts of the catastrophic failures of the BLM, or the Bureau of Land Management, to manage the herds of wild Mustangs in the prairies of the Midwest and West. Mr. Bornstein repeats over and over that Samson could easily have been one of the horses killed cruelly and inhumanely (no bullet in the brain for the wild Mustangs; instead they are run to death, left to starve, freeze, overheat, or many other varieties of slow, agonizing, lonely death). At the end of the book Mr. Bornstein relates that the BLM may have finally put an end to their cruel, politics-driven practices but I doubt that that is the case, frankly. Administrative positions in the BLM are probably cushy government jobs handed to political cronies, not to anyone who is actually interested in bettering the lives of the animals they (nominally) "care" for, or for the land they are charged with managing. I'm sure it has a lot more to do with handouts and freebies from special interest groups, and the fact that there's not a lot of public attention on the BLM doesn't hurt them at all either. Are mustang advocates handing the BLM officials a few hundred thousand under the table to help the horses out, the way that the cattle, oil, and other big special interest groups are? No? Well, then, I guess the mustangs are just out of luck. Along with the buffalo, the bighorn sheep, the antelope, the prairie dogs,and whatever other animals are in the way.

I don't mean to be so cynical but I have pretty low expectations of politics, politicians, and political functions at the moment.

I learned a lot about horse training; I've been around quite a few horses but never with such extremely attentive eye to minuscule body language alterations (etc) as Mr. Bornstein seems to have, which I'm sure contributes to his success as a trainer. Lucky Samson, that Mr. Bornstein persisted with him despite work commitments, girlfriend trouble, and friction with his owner. The owner was portrayed as unfriendly at best, unwelcomingly meddlesome most of the time, and coldhearted at worst. She certainly didn't seem to really have any warm feelings towards Samson, and frankly I wondered why she kept him at all (although I'm glad she did) if she disliked him so much. I was very impressed by the way the author kept his temper in check both with Samson and Samson's owner - that in itself was quite a feat! I was very impressed as well that Mr. Bornstein did succeed in getting Samson under saddle as well as in actually riding him. Poor Samson, to have had such a hard life and carry so many issues.

It was beautiful to read about Samson learning to trust a human again, though, and I am so happy to hear that he gets to live out his days in peace with visits from Mr. Bornstein and his new herd around him.

[Lorna McCluskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been an amateur horse-trainer many decades ago, I truly enjoyed this book that I received through Goodreads Giveaways.
I admire Mitchell Bornstein for becoming involved with an abused horse like Samson. I think if I had been Amy I would have decided to let Samson live the way nature intended, though in a much smaller, restricted range. This is not a "how-to" book, but an interesting blend of a unique inter-species relationship and history of the mustang.
Having experienced the same sort of bond as existing between Mitchell and Samson, I was able to relate on so many levels to "Last Chance Mustang: The Story of One Horse, One Horseman, and One Final Shot at Redemption".

[Kathy Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished my arc of this book and it was very inspiring. It took me to a world that I know very little about. What a great book and author. The compassion for Samsom shows what a truly wonderful person Mitchell Bornstein is. Samsom was very lucky to have Mr. Bornstein as a trainer.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book five stars on the understanding that it's not for children.
Mitch met an adopted mustang, recently gelded at the age of twelve, called Samson. His owner Amy who ran a de facto animal sanctuary had been the violent - because much abused - horse's last hope. The book tells of how Mitch, who had managed to reclaim other stressed and difficult horses, decided he had to work with the mustang and save him. Every step took a long time and Mitch gradually worked out the sources of stress - a helicopter noise reminded Samson of the distressing roundup while his ears had been damaged in twitches, a halter had been left on too long and eaten into his skin, his former owner carried nightmares for the horse - all kinds of problems.

As well, we get the history of mustangs from the appearance of horses in the fossil record in America, to early horses crossing to Asia and diverging, then early man from Asia reaching America and killing off the megafauna. Then the Arab and Spanish breeding and warring which ended up in bringing Spanish warhorses to America. J Frank Dobie's marvellous record 'The Mustangs' is quoted and referenced. Following this time the ongoing onslaught of destruction makes appalling reading as first the new settlers, then the new government, then the BLM, if we believe Mitch, decided to eliminate mustangs.

The records of slaughters and abuses make this book very challenging reading for a horse lover, and they never seem to end. They are still ongoing, with horses violently rounded up, dying unfed and unwatered in BLM corrals, 'adopted' en masse by people who promptly ship truckloads to Canada and Mexico to slaughter (since American horse slaughterhouses were closed) and individually, as Samson presents, suffering horribly.

At no small risk to his person, his legal work and his love life, Mitch kept training the horse once he had gained a measure of Samson's confidence. Because he was this gelding's last hope, and he had come to see Samson as representative of the breed which deserved much, much better. This isn't the only book I have read on this topic. I suspect it won't be the last.
I was sent an advance review copy for an unbiased review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads

Last Chance Mustang is a great book! I throughly enjoyed this book and will read it again in the very near future. If you are an animal lover this book is definetly a must read. Samson's story is both tragic and triumphant! A horse that saw the very worst of people and the best of a great man who knew he was worth saving. Samson never lost his great spirit of freedom and pride even through all the abuse he suffered. Samson story is inspiring. Mitchell Bornstein has done a great job of telling Samson's story. A story of both great love, patience and trust between a man with a great heart who needed rescuing himself (even though I don't think he realized it at the time he met Samson) and a beautiful horse that needed a human savior. This story worked its way into my heart and it will stay there forever. Mitchell Bornstein and Samson are a man and a horse that I wish I could have the pleasure of meeting. It takes a special person to rescue, love, and help a wounded animal find redemption, a new life, and a loving home.

[Breanna Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only is this the story of one beaten-but-not-broken Mustang, it is the story of the beaten-but-not-broken Spirit of the West. It is a story of Samson and it is a story of his wild cousins, past and present, on the open rangelands, both facing uphill battles for their right to survival. As we follow Samson's journey we also follow the history of the horse in North America, the good, the bad, and the downright heartbreaking. While the plight of the Mustang is still happening, Samson, at least, gets a happy conclusion to a life of pain, thanks to the persistence and devotion of one man. Saving one animal may not save the world, but to that animal, it means the world.

A good read overall, and gave this ecologist something to stew over on the nature of Mustangs roll in their claimed habitat.

[hare · Rating 3 out of 5]

In truth, one third of the book is redundant. Bornstein would constantly repeat what he wrote page after page after page. What the book needed was a good editor, because the story is lovely. As it is, I'm not sure it's worth the time.

[Katie Harder-schauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would then post an honest review.

When I was younger, I went through a horse literature phase, reading Black Beauty, all of Marguerite Henry's Chincoteague books, and several (if not all) of the books in the Saddle Club series. I was kind of excited to briefly return to that obsession of my childhood. Last Chance Mustang did not provide a story similar to those from my childhood. It's a lot more technical and goes into detail about Bornstein's training practices, which makes sense because this is a story about training a wild mustang.

Once I got over my personal disappointment that this wasn't the next Misty of Chincoteague, I saw the story for what it really is. This is the story of a cowboy's greatest accomplishment, even if Bornstein doesn't view himself as a cowboy. This is the kind of story I could see my own grandfather telling to some young kid on Tuesday's down at the sale barn, the kid hanging on his every word, wondering who would be victorious, man or beast.

One of the highlights of this book was how Bornstein wove the history of the wild mustang into the story of his training of Samson. We learn not only what it took to try and earn Samson's trust, but also why those steps were necessary in the first place, and what Samson's fate could have been if he'd entered the system at a different time than he had. Some of the statistics offered in this book were truly sobering.

Overall I give the book 4 out of 5 stars because it was entertaining, enlightening, and made me actually feel concern for the plight of America's wild mustangs. I would definitely recommend this book to horse enthusiasts and trainers and probably just about any animal rights activist as well. But I'd also recommend it to anyone that just loved reading horse stories in their younger years.

Reviewed on Just Another Girl and Her Books blog
http://www.justanothergirlandherbooks...

[Ginger · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a lifelong horsewoman, I was deeply disturbed by this strange tale which purports to be a feel-good tale of a man who saves an abused horse, but in fact, demonstrates mostly the writer's deep ignorance of horses and horse care. From the moment I started reading this story, I was plagued by the feeling that this man was passing himself off as a horse expert when he was no such thing. What was missing from this story was how on earth this woman and her abused and fearful horse ended up in the hands of a man who seemed to be more possessed of a giant ego than common sense. Again and again this pair, the owner and the "trainer" put the horse into dangerous situations. Again and again, the man's ego seemed to fuel his illusion that he was doing the right thing. This is one among a recent genre of books I have read, another being "Horses Never Lie About Love" in which an earnest narrator who clearly does not have a thorough grounding in horsemanship, recasts his own poor horsemanship as kindness to animals. I did read through to the end, and found it a heartbreaking story from start to finish.

[Phoebe Spahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was, for me, a disappointment. It is the story of training an abused Mustang, interspersed with the story of the Mustang in the American West. However, the parts about training the Mustang, Samson, seemed like an excuse for the author and trainer, Bornstein, to build his ego and prove what a good trainer he is. I don’t doubt that he’s a good trainer, but if he wanted to write an instruction manual on training Mustangs/difficult horses he could have done that instead of writing this book. There’s also an entire chapter on equine evolution, for some reason. I was also disappointed that the author didn’t tell much about himself. I think this book had the chance to be a memoir where he discussed how working with difficult horses has helped him grow as a person. Instead, every time Bornstein offered a personal anecdote I was left irritated. In short, I was hoping to read about the personal journey of a man and a horse. What a got was a history lesson on Mustangs and the techniques of a trainer that I don’t really care for.

[Mary K Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Extraordinary Tale

Picking this book out of a list of books that were offered lived up to its advertising as something different. The author must posses an almost Divine insight and patience. The essence of Samson came through his writing. His attributes and character were revealed through his training and behavior.
I knew a little about the Mustangs and their treatment, but I had no idea of the viciousness that was directed their way. And how consistent and current it is. The details of that human behavior, as depicted in the book, were revolting. I was energized to pay more attention and protest louder.
I also intend to pay more attention to my own horse, to understand him better. Horses are a great gift to man, would that we would appreciate them more and condemn misuses.

[Bonnie Staughton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a horse lover and someone who thinks the Wild horses of the West are being badly mistreated due to Government greed, this book really SPOKE to me.

The author records his adventures and misadventures in training a Wild mustang named Samson who has been abused by the BLM and several previous owners who had no idea how to train a Mustang (or any horse) the correct way.

Throughout the story the author digresses to give the story of the Wild mustangs who are being hunted down by the BLM, the numbers of those captured and the number killed during the helicopter hunts and in the corrals, many unborn foals. It is a travesty.

I applaud Mitchell Bornstein for his telling of the true story of what is happening to the Wild mustangs and his efforts to become a friend and protector of Samson, a true wild Mustang.

[Jennifer Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

JUST GOT DONE READING THIS BOOK CALLED LAST CHANCE MUSTANG:THE STORY OF ONE HORSE,ONE HORSEMAN, AND ONE FINAL SHOT AT REDEMPTION.I GOT THIS BOOK FROM GOODREADS FRIST READ.THIS BOOK WAS VERY TOUCHING I NEVER EXPECTED IT TO MAKE ME LAUGH AND CRY. I ALSO LEARNED ALOT ABOUT THE AMERICAN WILD WEST FOM THIS BOOK. THIS A MUST READ BOOK FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVES HORSES. IT TOOK ME TO A WORLD THAT I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT. THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN I HAD TO KEEP READING IT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.I WOULD HAVE TO GIVE THIS A 5 STAR RATING. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK GOODREADS FRIST READ AND TO THE AUTHOR MITCHELL BORNSTEIN FOR THIS BOOK.

[Lis DeWispelaere · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that links the history of mustangs in the wild to a traumatized mustang who battles, not only his issues from being caught in the wild, but also from his personal history with not so kind humans. His owner was about to give up on him until a horse trainer named Mitch was able to get through to the troubled mustang, Samson, make him trainable, and helped the horse to find his place in the world. While training Samson, Mitch not only saves him, but finds a renewed sense of purpose for himself in the process.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! It's an interesting mix of history, story, and training guide. I believe all equestrians should read, but any non equestrians may find some of it boring and/or can't understand everything. I learned a lot from the history and the training. I even used some of the training advise with my own horse! It will be one of my favorite books for a long time to come. I loved the quotes at the beginning of every chapter.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a solid 4.75 and Jennifer, Nancy and Kathy's ratings were all spot on and better than I could have done! Again, not typically my cup of tea but I really enjoyed it. Great job!! I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.

[Vykki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you good reads for letting me win this wonderful book. It was truly a story that touched your heart.

[Samantha Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i really loved this book so very well written

[Jillian Getchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like horses, or reading about them? Well if you do, or even if you don't, I recommend “Last Chance Mustang” by Mitchell Bornstein. This animal nonfiction book follows Samson, a wild mustang that was was chased and caught and brought from beautiful Nevada home surrounded by the horses that he grew up with. He was brutalized and severely abused for years until he found his home at a rural Illinois farm which was his last chance. Mitchell Bornstein’s job was to tame the “violent beast” and be able to ride him, and have him act like a regular domesticated horse, which would be a very challenging task. He had 20 years of experience but he knew it would be hard. Through all the good and bad times, Samson teaches Mitch about hope, friendship, and giving second chances to those who need it most. Even though this book has sad parts, the reader should respect Samson and remember his past instead of thinking of him as a crazy nutcase animal that has no feelings or a past. He is far from perfect, has a dark side, but also has a calm understanding side if you build a bond with him. His story teaches you about trust and forgiveness.
My overall opinion on this book is that I enjoyed it very much. Since I have a background that involves horses, I was able to understand more of what Samson was going through. I personally liked the parts that involved Samson and Mitch being together more than the history parts, but the overall book was very good and enjoyable. I also love how the author made such a good description of Mitch and Samson's relationship. One reason I liked this book so much was because I could picture the one on ones with Samson and Mitch which I enjoyed a lot because I have a horse-background and I knew what was happening. Another reason is this book really explains why horses might act the way they do and how terrible the BLM treats any horse which I love because it’ll tell the reader what they do and to feel bad for the horses and try to help stop them if we ever get the chance, and finally, Even though this is a book about horses, I think you do not need to be a horse woman, horse lover, or know anything about horses to enjoy this book which I really like because not everyone can or wants to know everything about horses. Even though I liked this book, I found some things that I personally do not like. Some of my negative aspects is that I think the author shouldn't of put as much history parts, they should only describe how bad the BLM is, and put more of Mitch's and Samson's visits and training sessions. Also, I think there are definitely better horse books, but this is definitely not the worst. The only reason I say that is because all of the books have different stories and plots, and I just think some are better than this story. Sometimes when something juicy happens or something bad, the book would leave it there and go to facts on the BLM. It kind of made me want to skip over those parts and just go right back to that good part. If anyone were to read this book, I personally think a reader should have some knowledge with horses but that's okay if they don't know because they will learn something new. I do not recommend this book to young children because they might not understand what the BLM is doing to these horses. I only say those things because the book uses horse terms that some people may not understand but they can learn more about horses once they figure them out. Honestly, I was expecting this book to be yet another great horse book which it was, but there are definitely better books that involve horses. I say that because most great horse books always follow the horse and person if they have one through the whole book which I like most, but this book kept switching off between “history lessons” and the great parts following Samsons and Mitch's adventures and good times too. This book made me laugh, but it also made me sad. One reason this book made me sad was because of when they first talked about Samson. He was taken from his home with the horses he grew up with, beaten, abused, called trash, and continued being abused for years where he turned into a hated beast until he found his way to his farm and his new friend Mitch. Overall, this book was very good, and I recommend this book to anyone that isn't too young because the book includes some mature topics.

[Christie Bane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another road trip audio book. There were things I really liked and things I didn't like, but overall it was an okay horse story.

What I did like:
*There was a lot of solid training information in there. This was the first time I really understood how someone teaches a horse to yield to pressure.
*The relationship between the author and Samson was pretty endearing. All trainers have had the problem animals suck them in at least a few times. But neither of them quit on the other one.

What I didn't like:
*The anthropomorphizing. Unless this guy can see into his horse's head a lot better than I can see into my dogs' heads.
*The information about mustangs in general. I have already read a good, solid book about mustangs that was all I could ever ask for, and I really didn't want to read it again, especially in that much detail. I just wanted a good horse story.
*Samson's owner Lisa. She was pretty demanding for someone who wasn't paying the author a cent to work with her horse. Also, she clearly disliked this horse as much as he disliked her.
*This is petty, but I will say it anyway: the author uses the word "countless" SO MANY times through the book that I just can't believe everything he described as countless actually was.

Overall though, a decent horse book.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "really liked it" all while I felt that the book could have been just as enjoyable and instructive at two-thirds the length. The author tended to elaborate on and on with much metaphor and simile, way past the point that, for me, separates illumination from the melodramatic. I also at times wearied of the parallel story of the historical plight of the wild Mustang horse, but I did come away with an increased awareness of the need to remain vigilant about how the BLM handles its charge to care for and preserve this national treasure.

(This criticism is in parentheses because it's one that could be leveled at so many books these days, but it's nonetheless a real irritation. I charge the editor with most of the blame, but since the author is a practicing lawyer he should have been on top of this from the get-go. I just can't let "silent but tacit approval" go without a written eye-roll. Another stick-out was "sight" for "site" - this may have been an automated substitution glitch. Picky stuff, I know, but so unnecessary if the book was truly edited and not just run through the spell-checker-level pre-print software.)

[Caren · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was an over dramatization of Samson's abuse. We get it, you don't have to remind me every 3 pages how he was brutalized/mistreated/punished. I understand it was an important part of the book but it was just a little too juvenile how the author constantly reminded the reader. I also have zero sympathy for the author having little or no control over Samson's circumstances since he didn't own the horse or accept him as a gift. He could have potentially owned him but boarded him at Amy's farm (to keep the herd together). If he shows up one day and the horse is gone or they opt not to perform an expensive but life saving medical treatment, the author has to understand he has no control in the situation. From the second chapter I thought he should have taken ownership of the horse. Overall, I'm impressed by how this man was able to work with such a scarred animal that most other people would have just put down.

[Jeri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samson, a wild American Mustang, was taken from his mountainous Nevada home and thrust into the domestic horse world where he suffered years of abuse. He ends up on an Illinois farm with a well-meaning owner who does not have the skills or experience to help him. Mitch Bornstein is contacted to work with Samson and give him one last chance. Although Mitch has years of experience working with challenging horses, Samson will push the boundaries of Mitch's knowledge, experience and heart. Woven into the book is the plight of the American Mustang through the battles between the Bureau of Land Management and the passionate advocates trying to save this unique breed. Mitch and Samson endure intense battles to discover the "true power of hope, friendship, redemption, and the inspiring mettle of the forever wild and free American Mustang."

Quote from the back cover of the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not only about a Mustang named Samson but about the Mustang horse and their right to belong as a part of the landscape of America.
I could have done without the history of the horse, I know what the general public is taught but I found the plight of the ever p persecuted Mustang.
While I felt this story was heartbreaking at times I am also really impressed by the patient’s and wisdom of Mitch, the trainer and Author of this book I have trained many horses but not nearly as many but I whole heartedly agree with his approach.
The narrator does mispronounce a few words but overall he does a good job

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book about saving a wild mustang, Samson. And the man who trained him. I loved his style. It was also a pretty through history of the wild horses. It also covers quite a bit of the nastiest of the BLM(Bureau of Land Management). And how they blamed wild horses to overgrazing of the land. It went into detail of how these animals died because of this horrible mislabeling of the BLM. I felt a lot of anger because of what was done. These horses are a national treasure. So truly this is more than Samson’s and Mitch’s story. Long live the mustangs!